AFRICAN AGENDA CAN ONLY BE ARTICULATED BY AFRICANS

The African agenda is about charting a new strategic path in order to affect a turn-around in the continent’s economy, politics, governance and development orientation. One thing that we must consider is the role that the Africa’s new vision to position itself so that it becomes the critical player in shaping the development agenda of the entire continent.

Africa’s potential is significant and if harnessed will drastically transform the destiny of its people. The African agenda is critical to ensuring the benefits of transformation are mutually shared across the different countries on the continent.

The land mass of Africa  is larger than the US, China, India, UK, Eastern Europe, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Japan combined. It accounts for 60% of the world’s uncultivated land.

According to the McKinsey “Lions on the Move” report, Africa’s GDP is expected to reach $2.6tr in 2020 which is equivalent to the current size of the UK; consumer spending is expected to increase to $1.4tr in 2020 from $860m in 2008 and the average life expectancy in Africa is projected to reach 64 years, compared to 57 years in 2010.

The African agenda should stress on good neighbourliness and good governance relations with fellow African states. It should also stress on the progressive articulation of modes of economic relations and the exchange of knowledge to offset the economic disintegration of the continent, but shuns the articulation of economic dominance based on exploitation and manipulation.

Through the African agenda Kenya has positioned itself as a special middle ranked power state and exemplar in Africa and the rest of the developing world. The manner in which Kenya’s democracy was born, the trajectory of its economic development and governance, as well as its commitment to peaceful co-existence with neighbours, has given distinguished clout and status to the country.

Mutual Benefit

A key aspect of Kenya’s foreign policy over the past years has been to assume the role of peacemaker and mediator in Africa, and a supporter of Africa’s interests abroad. Under the banner of the African agenda, the country will be a progressive agent for change in Africa.

Indeed, the values to which the country aspires at home are the same values it hopes for in the rest of the continent.

The Government’s foreign policy should openly state that Kenya will use its relative strength for mutual benefit of all and not attempt to run roughshod over neighbouring states. A specific element is that the country should seek strategic partnerships with African states in order to promote peace, stability and development of its economy.

We must make a contribution to the challenge of peace, democracy, development and stability in the rest of our continent for it is all about building a stable democratic system.

We must develop youth employment, support innovation by youth for the youth market and promote ideas in the female gender, reinvent distribution networks (internet, mobile, urban networking, and rural outlets) and develop/acquire infrastructure technology in the continent.

There is need to strengthen local SMEs to compete in all infrastructures markets (housing, education, health, transportation, energy, water, etc.), including by patronage of bigger African companies and promote Private Public Partnerships (PPP) and implement transparent procurement processes in the continent.

We should improve the quality of health care received by Africans in order to ensure a healthy and productive workforce thus resulting in an increase in the standard of living for all Africans.

Africa should maximize intra continental trade by encouraging private sector enterprise, as a way of creating sustainable growth on the continent.

Africa must commit to inclusive, transformative development that reduces income poverty, creates decent jobs, enhances access to social services, reduces inequality and promotes resilience to climate-related hazards in the continent.